Shortly after the production of the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Hunters", B'Elanna Torres actress Roxann Dawson came up with an idea of what she wanted the data stream that features in both that episode and "Hope and Fear" to contain. At the time, Dawson said, "I would love it if they made a choice that Starfleet comes down hard in saying that, 'Maybe all the Maquis should be thrown in the brig until we can get you home.' I think it would be interesting to see how Janeway deals with that, and what kind of upset it might cause among the crew. It's an opportunity I'd hate for them to miss." Following the making of "Hope and Fear", Chakotay actor Robert Beltran agreed that Dawson's idea "would have been very interesting." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 30, No. 9/10, pp. 93-94)